Sierra Foothills

I was just kidding.

Me too. I was more confused than the wind at the new stadium. There was a group of fans behind the bench hating on him because he was drafted instead of Shaun Dolac. It got to be too much.

Thank you! That was a freakish amount of sweat btw... I've never seen anything remotely close to that amount of liquid being wringed out of a pair of socks, much less one. Hairston did a good job of not vomiting. In retrospect I'm starting to think that was a prank... that he got them wet in the shower or something... can't possibly be real.

So the Abbott Road site is dead? Hammer's gonna be really upset. Besides irrigating the field, I believe that's also their solution to fertilizing it. Would this have any adverse effects on my masculinity? @Simon hurt your butt? I believe the caveat being that the 30 mph can be designated as a post June 1st transaction.

Where does that put him relative to Coleman?

Can someone answer the question please?

It's amazing how many Hall of Famers in all the major pro sports had their careers delayed or interrupted by their mandatory military obligations. Warren Spahn, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Bob Feller, Roger Staubach, Elgin Baylor... Would you bet that he makes the 53 or not?

Actually it was during that scene where he seemed to allude to the effect that his injuries have had on his play... but I didn't hear what he said. Anyone? If you're talking about the "cut scenes" I really respect the organizations decision to not show those. To me that specific aspect of Hard Knocks is a tasteless exploitation. I'm not sure what NIL money has to do with McDermott's ability to connect. I agree that the team generally doesn't seem very affected by his speeches. It's funny that there were comments at the top of the topic about the quality of McDermott's speech. Relative to his own speaking abilities, it was better than average. But he's a poor speaker so the bar is low. I believe his anecdote in episode 2 about the coach who threw a chair through the window was partly an attempt to mitigate the fact that he can't inspire his players through speech. On the plus side, it also shows that he understands his limitations which in and of itself, is a show of wisdom. I agree with your first sentence. Your second sentence is an interesting question. Speech is a very powerful tool when used judiciously. While Marv never won a Super Bowl, he did take his team to 4 straight and his former players have his messaging and philosophies imprinted in their minds till they die. I doubt McDermott's players will remember much of anything he said. I know I can be moved by a great speech and conversely, I often cringe when listening to people who try to, but can't deliver a message intended to move or motivate others. Emotion definitely has a place in pro football and all things being equal, a coach who can inspire with words has an advantage over one who cannot.

Many here are in panic mode though this group overreacts as a general rule, so no surprise there. After last year the Bills recognized the need to improve the defense and they acted accordingly. They added 6 draft picks and 3 prominent free agents to the defensive side and added Ryan Nielsen and Jason Rebrovich to the defensive coaching staff. I expect the defense to be both different and better this year. How much better is anyone's guess. They're not gonna show anything ahead of the Ravens game. Also not mentioned in this topic is that the game can't be properly evaluated without combining it with the joint practice... which was a very under-covered event. There was precious little video or reporting of the joint practice and it's easily arguable that the Bills placed more importance on the practice than the game. As for the game, it looked like the Bills weren't prepared to play football and it's almost miraculous that no one was injured because you shouldn't even step onto a football field if you aren't ready to play. It's the responsibility of the coaches to make sure the players are prepared and they weren't. They were mistake-prone and lacked intensity and awareness. They looked tired and sloppy. I think McDermott was measured in his criticism of the team because he knew that the team wasn't prepared to play. It happens, especially in the preseason. All of that said, they did avoid injuries which is a huge plus... and it's too early (and too late) to hit the panic button or talk about wholesale changes. The foundation for this season has already been poured.

For the same reason they drafted Max Hairston... somewhere along the way over the last two years the Bills realized that they needed better and faster athletes on defense. Yes, the best case scenario. At this point there's a lot of wishing and hoping. No surprise here... they don't really have many options. Plan A is to try to light a fire under Bishop's ass. They're hoping that they don't have to resort to plan B. I don't think it's bizarre at all. It has been commented on numerous times how much more honest and less coddling McDermott has been this year. It looks to me like he's made the decision to not insulate players from criticism but rather allow them to feel the pressure to perform that all pros should feel. A 2nd round pick who's falling short of expectations should feel pressure. At this level and at these stakes, if a person can't handle pressure then they're not going to succeed. Coaches should be setting expectations and standards, not protecting players who are underperforming. As I said in another thread, Parcells and Coughlin were a-holes most of the time. And they each won 2 Super Bowls.

I'm fairly irritated that the Bills didn't end up with Dolac. I don't know if they tried signing him after the draft but they could have made it a moot point by taking him instead of Kaden Prather. I understand the team had a need at WR but they also had a need at LB.

Yes, in the Browns QB Derby he edged out Slim Pickins. I agree that 4 games is around the over/under... maybe 3. As has been discussed, they can't afford to be too patient.

I'll go back to my original point which is that there are a lot of very smart people working in that special niche of commercial real estate that encompasses stadium development. If there was money to be made by building a domed stadium in Orchard Park, there would have been a big push to get it done. The fact that it was never a possibility tells me that it was not viewed as a good investment.

I disagree, Sir Andrew. Probably the reason other metros are building domed stadiums is because the expense is justified. Erie County is the 60th most populous county in the United States. Buffalo is the 82nd largest city. Buffalo is smaller than such "major cities" as Bakersfield and Fresno... Omaha and Corpus Christi... Buffalo has about the same population as Fort Wayne and is barely bigger than Toledo, Ohio. There were how many concerts in Highmark last year? I seriously doubt that there are any stadium-caliber performers who are going to want to come to Buffalo in December to play a concert... even if it's in a domed stadium. I'd bet that when you crunch the numbers and compare the added cost of a domed stadium versus the additional revenues possible from non-NFL events, that the numbers don't pencil out. Comparatively, the Kansas City metro area is over 2 million people. The Chiefs will get a domed stadium if that's what they want. And I'm sure these numbers are well-known to those whose business it is to know them. Bottom line, if the ROI projected favorably, it would get done. Rich people aren't going to pass over a good investment.

Well I would sign up for that...

I've heard of him!

Don’t exaggerate… you lose all credibility. Tremaine turned 15 on May 2nd. As for me, I’d best be suited for the Micah Hyde ceremonial roster spot.

The first year I was aware of the Bills was the 1968 season. I was a kid and we had only moved to Buffalo the previous year. This was the year that Joe(l) Collier was fired after a week 2 loss and Harvey Johnson was appointed as the interim coach by owner Ralph Wilson. (As a footnote, John Rauch was hired as the Bills Head Coach the following season and after being fired during the 1971 season, Johnson was again appointed interim coach. In his 2 stints as Bills interim coach his W-L record was 2-23-1 (.096).) The Bills record over the first 3 years that I was a fan was 8-32-2 (.200). But like most of us old Bills fans, our allegiance to the team was not optional. The AFL Championship teams of 1964 and 1965 (as well as the 1966 team that lost the AFL Championship game to... the Kansas City Chiefs for the right to go to the first Super Bowl) had created a loyal, rabid fanbase that lasts till this day. We are, truly one of the greatest fanbases in pro sports. Especially as a kid, we Bills fans always held firm to the belief that the Bills would win on Sunday. Unfortunately by 1968, only a few players were left from those championship teams and the roster was mostly devoid of talent. Injuries also played a huge role as there was an epidemic which resulted in 4 different players starting games at quarterback... Kay Stephenson, Tom Flores, Dan Darragh, and in an emergency role, Ed Rutkowski. That season the Bills finished 1-12-1 and completed only 41.5% of their pass attempts. Of course by virtue of this suckitude the Bills were awarded the first pick in the 1969 draft and selected O.J. Simpson. The OJ Simpson Era lasted from 1969 until 1978. During the OJ Era the Bills moved into their new home, Rich Stadium in 1973. Accurately or not, I always think of Rich Stadium as "The House that OJ Built." In spite of Simpson's greatness as a football player he was only able to lead the team to one playoff appearance when they lost to the dynastic 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers. In that divisional round loss OJ ran the ball 15 times for 49 yards and added 37 yards and a TD on 3 receptions. In the Steelers' next two playoff games including the Super Bowl, the Raiders and the Vikings ran the ball 42 times for only 46 yards against the Steel Curtain. The Simpson Era ended when new Head Coach Chuck Knox traded the aging RB to San Francisco in order to begin a rebuild. Knox led the Bills to 2 playoff appearances in 5 years including the memorable 1980 season when the Bills were arguably the best team in the NFL. Many here recall the bitter end of that season with a one-legged Joe Ferguson and cohorts falling short in San Diego. The Chuck Knox Era ended when he resigned in 1983 after failing to reach agreement on a new contract with Ralph Wilson. The Bills again lost their way post-Knox with consecutive 2-14 finishes under Kay Stephenson and Hank Bullough. The next era in Bills history came in 1986 with the hiring of Bill Polian and his subsequent hiring of Marv Levy. The Bill Polian Era ended in 1993 following the Bills 3rd Super Bowl defeat, after which Polian was fired by Ralph Wilson. Thus began the John Butler Era (1993-2000). In a span of less than one month in early 1998, Butler signed QB Doug Flutie from the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and then traded with the Jacksonville Jaguars for QB Rob Johnson. That year the Bills needed to sell $11 million worth of luxury boxes and club seats to guarantee the team's stay in Buffalo for five more years. With Rob Johnson as the starting quarterback the Bills began the season 1-3 and ticket sales were stagnant. There was a palpable pessimism in the air regarding the renewal of the Bills lease. In week 5 Johnson was injured and Doug Flutie came in and led the Bills to a 31-24 win over the Colts and Flutie-mania was born. Flutie led the team to a 9-3 finish and ticket sales exploded and the Bills near-term future in Buffalo was assured. Butler's tenure was also punctuated by the Bills loss in "The Music City Miracle" in 2000 when the Bills were again arguably the best team in the NFL. Butler was fired 12 months later when Ralph suspected that Butler was more interested in returning to San Diego (where he began his NFL career) than remaining in Buffalo. Thus began "The Drought" (2000-2016) which led us to the McDermott/McBeane Era. It's been many years with arguably more lows than highs. We've stuck with our Bills through thick and thin. Like almost all Bills fans, (rightly or wrongly) a single Super Bowl win in my lifetime would be among the happiest moments of my life. There is no doubt that there will lots of celebrating and many tears of joy... assuming my heart doesn't explode sometime during the game. 😆

Also, I don't like that they didn't make the 1st down the last time they tried the tush push. Practice makes perfect.

The Browns are building a new domed stadium? How can they afford it? I wonder if they'll change their minds? The last time they tried uncovering something it didn't go well.

To paraphrase Rasheed Wallace, "Organs don't lie."

That is the question... too much or not enough?

I attended parties as a high schooler where that song was played ad nauseam. As many people who had an aversion to it, there were an equal number of people who were completely bought in. My similar moment was when the Sabres traded Eddie Shack for Rene Robert. Apparently I wasn't yet familiar with French pronunciations.